Cemevi on Kurt decision: Killing a person here gets a TL 12,100 fine

The Okmeydanı Cemevi, an Alevi house of worship, protested a court decision last week that fined a police officer TL 12,100 for the murder of Uğur Kurt in the yard of the cemevi, Birgün reported.

“This is a house of worship. The penalty for killing a person here was decided by a court to be TL 12,100,” read a poster hanging on the wall of the Okmeydanı Cemevi in İstanbul.

Kurt, a 34-year-old janitor and father of one, was hit by a stray bullet fired by policeman Sezgin K. during anti-government demonstrations in May 2014.

The Kurt family protested the decision when it was announced at the Istanbul Courthouse.

Murtaza Demir, chairman of Pir Sultan Abdal 2 July Culture and Education Foundation, strongly protested the ruling in a statement, claiming that both the police action and the court decision reflect biases against cemevis and Alevi society in Turkey.

“The cemevi that was attended by the Kurt family and others is being punished. This is a very dangerous provocation,” Demir said, expressing hope for an appeal of the verdict.